In order to evaluate or debug high-speed digital circuits, accurate measurement and display of signal waveforms and alternating current (AC) characteristics are often desired. In many instances the measurements are performed by specifically designed probes, which have predefined physical and electrical qualities.
The electrical qualities of a probe determine, in part, the probe's response to the AC characteristics, the accuracy of the measurement, and the extent to which the probe detects the signal without detrimentally affecting the operation of the system or circuit being probed. One measure of a probe's intrusiveness is the electrical and capacitative loading presented by the probe to the circuit. A probe tip having high capacitance may cause circuit-loading problems in circuits having signals with fast edge rise and fall times. Minimizing the capacitance associated with the probe has been one solution for reducing the electrical and capacitative loading presented by the probe.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional probe includes a probe tip bore 150a with a probe-tip connector 155a that inserts into a contact hole 160 of a mating connector 120 to measure signals at a specific test point on a target board 110. Usually, the hole 160 on the mating connector 120 guides the probe-tip connector 155a through the hole 160 to its corresponding test point.
If simultaneous measurements from multiple test points 170 are desired, then a multiple-tip probe 100 may be used to take test measurements from the multiple test points 170. One of the physical qualities of a probe is to reliably contact all of the desired test points 170. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to directly align each of the multiple probe-tip connectors 155a . . . 155h of the probe 100 to a corresponding test point 170. Thus, a specialized mating connector 120 is often used in conjunction with the probe 100 to help properly align the probe-tip connectors 155a . . . 155h with corresponding test points 170.
A mating connector 120 typically has multiple contact holes 160 arranged to form a specific footprint on one side of the mating connector 120. Each contact hole 160 on the footprint corresponds to the location of one of the multiple test points 170 on the target board 110. Thus, the mating connector 120 aligns each probe-tip connector 155a . . . 155h with a corresponding test point 170. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the mating connector 120 is secured to the target board 110 so that the contact holes 160 are aligned to the test points 170. Upon securing the mating connector 120 to the target board 110, the probe-tip connectors 155 are inserted through the contact holes 160 on the mating connector 120, thereby permitting probing of the target board 110. The use of the mating connector 120, however, may result in an undesirable amount of probe tip capacitance and electrical loading effects associated with such capacitance. Specifically, the mating connector 120 generally is a permanent part of the target system, thereby presenting a load on the target board 110 even when the probe 100 is removed.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.